Alternate Christmas dinner - ideas

[Maxf]

I grew up with turkey Christmas dinners, and frankly find them quite boring as we have full chicken/beef roasts quite often anyway. So, for the past few years we have had an alternate Christmas dinner - something which is a treat (as Turkey used to be, traditionally) and we don't have over the rest of the year.

This year the main course is fillet of wagyu beef, lightly seasoned, chargrilled and served rare. Yummy.

Any ideas for an alternate starter and desert?

I'm thinking some kind of lobster/seafood raviolli for the starter, although I'm not very inventive so no doubt you foodies will have better ideas...

Desert I'm thinking a traditional Eves pudding (apples, sponge, crumble etc) - but it's hardly alternative. It will see me fast asleep by 3pm though!

Any ideas or recipies? What would you have? I'm cooking for 4 adults.

[Gruffy]

Maxf said:

I'm thinking some kind of lobster/seafood raviolli for the starter…

I have a great recipe for Crab & Lobster Ravioli:

75g Lobster meat
3tbsp whipping cream
1tbsp egg white

Purée the lot then add:

100g crab meat
1/4 green onion
2tsp coriander
1/2tsp lemon juice
1tsp grated Ginger
Salt & pepper

If you're comfortable making pasta then there's really nothing that can go wrong with this one. It's lovely.